Primrose
by LadyAlexandraNoir
Summary: Death is a funny thing, Primrose Everdeen knows this to be true, she also knows that the fate that awaits her family is not a pretty one, when have the odds have ever been in their favor? She's scared, but that doesn't mean that she cannot be brave. Primrose!SI. (A little project to bring myself out of a terrible writer's block)
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello there guys!**_

 _ **I know, I know, I should be updating my other stories, I know. BUT writer's block is a thing so I decided to start this to see if it frees up my mind a bit, also trying out a new writing style, so hope you like it! :)**_

 _ **Alex**_

* * *

Dying is a funny thing.

At one moment you're having the time of your life and then, in the blink of an eye, everything you have come to know doesn't exists anymore.

You are left with memories of a life once lived and apparently memories of a life that is not yet done with you.

I opened my eyes slowly, the surroundings were strange but at the same time familiar, there was something I couldn't place, something in the back of my head that was not comfortable, something telling me that the safest way was to get the hell out of doge. A dark room, and everything looks falling apart, but I know this place, I do.

My mother walked into the room, a plate of something smoking in her hands and a small smile came upon her lips when her eyes met mine, I smiled back at her because my body was doing its own thing.

The strange woman, my mother, she was my mother, she sat on the edge of the bed next to me and place the back of her hand against my forehead. The feeling was comforting, but there was something missing, my mother's hair was blonde and it was wrong, this blonde woman smiling at me, it was wrong.

She helped me eat and the wrongness of it all refuses to go.

"You'll get better Prim, you'll see" she said and I nodded, Prim, my name… no a nickname, so foreign but yet so familiar.

I decide not to trouble myself on it, I feel weak, so weak, but I'm alive and that is what counts.

I close my eyes and dream of my other life, warm brown eyes and laughter, wide open spaces and sunlight, then my dreams turn dark and there is fear and grief, _everything is dangerous here._

When I wake up again it is not my mother who is by my side, but my sister, my older sister and that is a strange thought, I had never been a younger sister before, I never had a sister before, but I do love my sister and the love that I feel for my sister is more than the love I feel for my mother.

"Hello little duck" says the familiar voice and I can't help but smile, a real smile.

"Hey" I croak out and my sister, _Katniss,_ my brain supplies, smiles and I realize that I am beyond fucked.

 _Prim, Primrose, Katniss, Primrose and Katniss, Everdeen._

I want to cry but it is only my pride that keeps me from it, I refused to cry, I wouldn't cry, because Katniss is looking at me, young eyes filled with concern and I can only pull myself up and hug her with arms that feel to small to be my own.

I am ten years old, two years before the fateful reaping that will change the lives of the twelve districts forever. I am ten years old and I'm clinging onto my sister, the only person in this fateful world that loves me more than I love her.

"Prim? Prim?! What's wrong?" Katniss asks and the concern is evident in her voice, I tighten my hug around her.

My voice comes out as a faint whisper "I'm scared"

* * *

It is two weeks later that I find out that I had a close encounter with death. A Fever, Katniss had explained, a fever that had taken Primrose Everdeen's life and had entangled it with mine to purposes unknown.

District 12 was dull and bleak but I soldiered on, keeping my head down whenever peacekeepers were near and trying not to outshine my peers at school much, if Katniss noticed anything amiss she didn't say, and if she noticed that I was clingier than before it didn't seem to bother her.

Buttercup, the devil in disguise that was my cat, didn't mind the change much, but it could sense that something had change, I was sure of it.

In the months that follow I try to acclimatize myself to this life and this body once again, I am Primrose Everdeen, Primrose Everdeen is me. Soon enough a routine is born, I wake up early in the morning and retrieve milk from my goat, some for drinking, some I save to make cheese later in the day. Afterwards I say goodbye to Katniss as she goes out to hunt.

At first Katniss tries to stop me, she cares too much, she wants me to sleep better, to have a better life, but I want to do this, I want to help her care for our mother for ourselves, she relents after much arguing, she almost lost me, she's scared and that I can understand, so I try to comply most times.

It is weird not being the oldest, but all my instincts are there, and even though the brother I once had and I didn't have the best of relationships when we were younger my parents used to count on me to care for him. Having Katniss care for me, Katniss who was fourteen and looked too young for all the things she did to keep our family safe and fed, felt wrong in so many levels.

Gale was fun, he was incredibly tall for a sixteen year old but he was kind and even though it was probably due to his crush on Katniss he cared for us. He walked with us to school every morning along with all his siblings. It was a disheartening thing to see.

I tried not to think about it much, the games, the poverty, everything really, I tried to live my life in my day to day. I did my chores, helped my mother, whose name I found out was Clara, and waited for Katniss to come home at night.

It doesn't take much more days for the annual reaping to come this year, and I realize and count that even though I'm ten, I'm several months away from my eleventh birthday.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hello Guys! Chapter two of this little story, enjoy!**_

 _ **Alex.**_

* * *

My mother doesn't fuzz over my clothing much on the day of the reaping, I offer to braid her hair and we sit on the only bedroom of the house waiting for Katniss to return from hunting. Buttercup comes out of wherever he's hiding and I run a hand absentmindedly along his back.

I can't help but to feel glad that I'm two years away from Disaster Day, but I also feel sad for the poor sods that will get chosen to represent the District, they stand no chance, so I try my best to ignore the entire proceedings keeping my face as still as a statue.

Names get called and suddenly I'm back home holding Katniss in my arms, we're okay, we would be this way for two more years but I try not to think about it as we eat fresh strawberries and cheese for dinner.

The next few days are grim as the entire District watches the Games, they are brutal, much more savage that actors and filmmakers could make them seen, there is no mercy no TV ratings to stop us from watching the real gruesome deaths. And I suddenly realize, _this is what they want, to keep us in fear, to keep us meek, to remind us of our place._

I hold Katniss a little bit tighter that night and realize that surely there's no God if this carnage has been going on for as long as it has, there is no go, there is no faith, there's only death for those who march into that arena.

Life carries on the same after the game passes and I want to scream, I want to rage, I want to see the world burn, but I am a child, I am a defenseless child in this world, who's only chance at survival is the love that her sister feels for her. It's wrong and I want to hit something. In the end I don't, it is not who I am now, Primrose Everdeen is soft and pure and she must remains so until the time is right, so I keep the storm raging under my skin under fake smiles and insincere platitudes, its all I have.

* * *

"What are you doing Prim?" asks Katniss curiously, I smile at her and show her what I've done with the grains from her tesserae.

It doesn't look like much, but after a little trying and goat milk I managed to do milk bread.

Katniss smiles at me and takes a bite, "This is really good Prim" she compliments and I smile.

"Thank you, I figured you would like something different" I say softly, Katniss' face softens.

We manage, Katniss brings different things for me to try to cook and I try to include Clara who most times stares blankly ahead, although other times she smiles at me and pats my hair, I feel sorry for her because she is a truly a pitiful creature.

All in all Katniss and I try to have fun, I ask her about her hunting trips at night before we go to sleep and she asks me about school and my forays into cooking, she also asks me about healing and I try to answer as best as possible.

Healing never really called to me before, but at the same time it did. _Primrose Everdeen wanted to be a healer one day,_ I had wanted to rule a country, now neither called to me, it was one of the funny things about being dead, undead, Primrose.

* * *

I turn eleven Katniss invites Gale over for dinner, I make stew for four with grains and Katniss insists to have strawberries and cheese as dessert. Gale gifts me a beautiful yellow ribbon that I braid into my hair and wear to school. Clara had picked up primroses and puts them in an old vase on the table, they are my family and I loved them.

As I had been living in District 12, there were many habits that I had to leave behind. Gone were the days in which I lounged inside of a tub for hours or ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. Katniss does her best to keep us fed, yes, but it is not the same, nothing ever is.

I don't have any close friends, I figure that none of us really do, we take classes together, yes, but that is it, unity is not something that our teachers worried about, unity led to rebellions, rebellions meant death. I try not care much for it either ways, at school we often keep to ourselves, who knows who was to be reaped next, attachments were not really a thing that people needed in this wretched place.

* * *

The year passes in the same fashion, same old routine, I mourn a life once lived, I see two unfortunate souls reaped, sent to die, I hold my sister closer to me as I sleep and she promises that nothing will ever harm me. It is the way of this world, I cry once I'm alone for the injustice of it all, Katniss can't see me like this, neither can Clara, Buttercup agains proves that he is somewhat smarter than the average house cat and stays close to me as the tears fall.

I feel dread as my twelfth birthday approaches, there is no happiness in our home that day, Gale comes too this year, he comments on the ribbon that I'm wearing, the same one he gifted me a year before and this time hands me a small bracelet, it has a small carving and I love it only because it's a bow, a reminder that my sister is out there risking her life so I can get to enjoy mine.

I hug him and he calls me 'Little Prim', Katniss is smiling at us, we're safe, we're home, there's food in our table and I've lived to see another year, it's all that matters. Once Gale leaves, Katniss and I huddle in our bed and she gives me my gift, it's a pink ribbon made of silk, its soft and she helps me braid it into my hair along with the yellow one. She then tells me that I'm beautiful and I believe her.

In the next few days I try to surprise Katniss with a gift of my own and with the help of Gale who jumps on board when I tell him my plans and the help of Clara who knows a thing or two about sewing I gift Katniss a pair of hunting gloves.

She pulls me into a hug and I know that I've done good. Gale gets milk for a week in exchange of the leather, Katniss gets a well made pair of gloves and I get to see her smile, we're all great.

Watching Katniss, I learn that in life there are things much more important than having the latest car or the latest phone; I learn that your life can rotate around one person without it being something romantic. Katniss is my word and someday I will put a bullet through Snow's brain, that thought helps me sleep at night.


	3. Chapter 3

When the day of the reaping arrives I don't wake up in the middle of the night having nightmares, there is no need for those, I know what will happen today, so I wake up earlier than Katniss and pack more than enough cheese for her and Gale, I greet her as she walks into the kitchen and hug her tight before she leaves.

Clara hands me the clothes that I am to wear to the rapping, my mind barely recognizes them at Katniss' and so I wear them proudly. Katniss arrives close to midday and she is hurried by Clara into a quick shower and into a blue dress, it fits her.

"You look beautiful" I say once Clara is done with the braids, because she does, if I am as cute as a button then Katniss is really beautiful and I can see what Gale sees in her, I feel sorry for him too.

Katniss offers me a small smile, she thinks that I am scared, but strangely I'm not, she's with me and I've never felt fear while living in District 12, not while knowing that Katniss would do anything to protect me.

We walk solemnly to the Square, I can see the Hawthorne family in the distance before I am separated from Katniss to get my blood sample and everything ready for the reaping. Something stirs in my stomach as more people arrive, Katniss is out of my sight and I try not to let that bother me much.

The reaping starts as all others did, but this time I can feel my legs trembling slightly, this time I'm eligible to be sent off to die. The mayor speaks of the history of Panem, it's all bullshit, but since we're all slaves of the system it gets treated as the gospel truth.

Effie Trinket looks so out of place amongst us that is not even funny, she looks to colorful, so bright that my eyes begin to hurt as I look at her. I had forgotten how bright the color fuchsia could be. Haymitch is there too and he looks pitiful, but I know he's cunning, that is all show to the Capitol, they like their shows after all.

Effie sticks her hand into the bowl, my hands ball into fists, she is taking too much time, the heat feels suffocating, I might pass out, not scared my ass.

And then suddenly.

 _Primrose Everdeen_

My name resounds in the square, I take a breath, square my shoulders and tuck in my ducktail before walking forward, the peacekeepers are waiting for me, I look at them in what I hope is a defiant manner while my body does all it can to keep the tears inside my eyes where they belong.

I haven't taken two steps to the front when I hear her voice.

"PRIM, PRIM" she screams almost manically, I turn to see that she has broken from her line only to be stopped by to peacekeepers while one of them tries to push me forward, "I VOLUNTEER, I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE"

Effie tries to say something about not being the time for volunteers, but I'm already in Katniss' arms when the reality of it all hits me, my arms tighten around her waist.

"You can't go, please" I murmur into her dress, my tears staining the fabric.

Katniss looks lost and then she is ripped away from me and I scream and run in her direction only to be stopped by a pair of strong arms. Gale hoists me up as if I weighted less than a sac of potatoes and holds me away as Katniss goes up the stage.

Gale keeps me in his arms for the remainder of the reaping, I'm not listening anymore, I know that Peeta Mellark is on the stage next to Katniss and I know that Effie is overjoyed with the fact that District 12 is finally getting some action but tears are blurring my vision because my sister, my best friend is in danger because of me, because I couldn't be strong enough to change something in the two years I had lived in this place. I hate myself in that moment.

Clara finds Gale and I and pulls me into a hug, my tears are falling again and I feel horrible. The entire District takes that moment to say goodbye to the tributes, not with cheers and applause but solemnly, I press a kiss to my three middle fingers of my left hand and raise it up. This is the beginning of a rebellion, the spark that will burn down the entire system.

The reaping ends and Clara and I are allowed to enter the Justice Building, I run to Katniss arms and stay there for a while, she then starts talking about how we are to get by, how Gale will help us, how I am not to take tesserae, then she rounds up Clara and tells her about being there for me, not that I need it, I am an adult, but I appreciate the sentiment. Before leaving I make her promise me that she will come back, she has to.

We are ushered out and I manage to give Katniss one last hug. I see Peeta's father walk in after us while Gale tries to comfort Clara, Madge Undersee, the Mayor's daughter is also there with us and I know that she will give Katniss the mockingjay pin.

Clara and I walk out of the Justice Building and wait for Gale who comes out last and walks us home, it's a somber walk and I can see the pity in everyone's eyes, its infuriating.

I refuse to attend school for the next two days until Gale comes into the house and forcibly removes me and drags me to school, it's becoming an habit, Gale dragging me places, but since he's over six feet and I barely reach his stomach it's really not a big effort to carry me around.

The third day after Katniss departure I wake up earlier than any other day before and dress in a pair of Katniss' old pants and a pair of boots. Clara doesn't try to stop me as I leave the house after milking the goat and setting some milk aside to make cheese.

I walk through the familiar streets, Katniss' old bow in hand, until I find the person I was searching for.

"GALE!" I scream and he turns to look at me, a confused look on his face.

"Prim? what are you doing here?" he asks as he approaches, I know that he's going to hunt today and so I look up at him decidedly.

"Teach me how to hunt" I demand and he looks at me as if I have grown another head.

"You don't need to hunt Prim, I can do it, Katniss would kill me if she knows" he says and looks around, at this time the streets are empty.

"I want to learn, Katniss is not here anymore, I can't be defenseless" I try to reason and Gale is frowning and I know that he is about to give in, "If you don't teach me, I'll go into the woods myself and you'll have to explain to Katniss why I'm dead"

I know I'm playing dirty, not like sweet Primrose who would have gone to school and would have kept her head down, but I'm not that Prim, not anymore, my sister is in danger, Clara is not really someone you can rely on and Gale is my only chance at learning.

He gives in, he does because he knows that Katniss will kill him either way. We cross the fence and walk into the woods, he inspects my bow and we go a little further.

I don't know if its because it's in my blood or pure luck, but I'm not half bad and even Gale is impressed. I manage to shoot down a bird after a few tries and Gale kills several other animals. He sees me home and promises to pick me up next morning.

So here I am, while my sister is preparing herself to play in the Games, I am preparing myself for what is to come.

Clara and I watch Katniss on fire as she is presented to the Capitol and I can't help but to smile at how she looks, I have to give it to Cinna, he is a genius.

Day nine of Katniss not being home, Clara and I invite the Hawthorns over to watch the interview, between the two families there is more than enough food for us. Gale no longer looks at me like I'm something breakable and I'm more than fine with that.

The interview goes on and Katniss looks even prettier than before, her dress is a masterpiece and I'm sure that Gale thinks so too. Katniss then is asked about me, her face betrays nothing as she answers, but I know that it hurts her, it hurts me too.

Gale sneaks a glance my way and I offer him a small smile, he nods and I return my attention to the interview, Katniss says goodbye and Peeta is on the couch next. The next moments are really tense to watch, and Gale's face when Peeta reveals that he's in love with Katniss is one I will remember for as long as I live.

Next morning, Saturday, we walk into the woods in silence, I can tell that he's angry about the whole thing, we sit down on a rock and let the sun shine down on us.

"They are playing" I say after a while, Gale looks my way, "Peeta and Katniss, they are playing the Game"

"Declaring their love in front of the Capitol?" Gale asks and he sounds bitter, I nod.

"It's a way to make them desirable for sponsors, District 12 has never been popular, but now? Everyone must be talking about them, it's genius" I say with a smile and Gale catches on.

He smiles at me, "You know, you're a whole lot smarter than I thought," he says and then adds, "For a twelve year old" he ruffles my hair and I laugh.

"Does it surprises you?" I ask interested, Gale shrugs.

"It shouldn't, you're Catnip's sister after all, I just never saw the fire underneath that angelic face" he says with a smile, I huff and he laughs before standing and brushing his pants, "Come on Prim, we have food to get"

I follow him deeper into the woods and we hunt together, it is easier than it was a couple days ago and we get a couple of rabbits, fish and several dogs, the bounty is plentiful enough and Gale manages to sell most of it in the Hob. We walk back to our homes in silence.

During the next few days, as the games begin, Gale becomes a more or less permanent fixture at home, I know that Clara feels safe when he's over and I enjoy his company. Katniss absence helped us form a friendship and I feel that I can be much more of myself with him around.

We watch as the bloodbath begins and my chest tightens, that night I have to remind myself that Katniss will live, she will come back... She has to. I ponder a little bit about myself, I've stuck to the story as best as I can, life is fickle and I'm not to keen on playing up Murphy's Law, there's also the fear that things will go FUBAR.

At school we get a review of the game and I can feel the stares of my peers directed my way, I ignore them and carry on, this is me being strong. The biggest surprise that we get at home is Peeta's dad visiting, he arrives with bread and a bag of cookies and I insist on giving him meat from one of my kills, he doesn't say anything, he understands that in the world we live in we need to adapt or we die.

The days keep passing and so do the Games, Gale and I watch Katniss as she forms an alliance with Rue and I mourn for the girl that will die in the next few hours, Gale doesn't understand why Rue's death affects me so much, but Rue was just a child with no one to volunteer for her, I had been lucky to have Katniss and so I tell this to Gale and he passes a arm around my shoulder while we watch Katniss singing to Rue as the girl dies.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning the two of us walk into the woods in silence, tears have long since dried and there's nothing else to do but to hope for the best. We hunt in silence, our game for the day more than enough and I realize that I have found peace in killing things, my aim is better than it was when Gale started teaching me and I know carry Katniss' bow, yes the one she usually hunts with.

"She and Peeta will come back" I say as I sit on a boulder while Gale fishes, he gives me a weird look, "They will come back and we will be in danger"

"No we won't" Gale says and he sounds sure of himself, I can't help but to smile sourly.

"We will, Katniss and Peeta will play out their romance and they will make it home together, if you don't think that president Snow will take it as a personal slight and a sign of rebellion then I'm afraid we haven't been watching the same Games" I explain and Gale looks surprised by my statement, his face hardens momentarily as he ponders my words, he's not stupid, he knows what that means.

"And you're so sure of that?" He asks, I nod, "What can we do about it then?"

I smirk and I'm sure it probably looks off on my face, but I know I can trust Gale, "We need to be smarter than them, colder, we cannot let our emotions get the best of us, once they come back you need to be supportive of Katniss relationship with Peeta, regardless of your thoughts in the matter"

He looks taken aback, he is glaring at me because he know's I'm right, I don't shy away from his glare, I'm not that meek girl anymore, I am the small storm that will turn into a hurricane and destroy the entire world. Gale sighs and even though he doesn't want to he's on board.

"What am I to do, rosebud?" He asks and I raise an eyebrow at the nickname but he says nothing, just a small smile.

We both sit on the boulder, our shoulders brushing, as I explain our game to him, he doesn't like it and I have to explain that I don't like it either, but I rather be alive in a couple of years than be dead because I was stupid. He doesn't have to know that this is my second attempt at life.

A new routine is established, Gale and I walk to the square and no one finds it weird, he's just being there for me as Katniss would have wanted him to be, nobody notices that we are observing the peacekeepers. Darius, a peacekeeper from The Hob, doesn't notice that I take interest in learning the weak spots of his suit and if Clara sees me and Gale experimenting with poisonous berries while the Games play in the background she doesn't comment on it.

The night that we see Katniss kissing Peeta, Gale runs out of the house, I run after him and we make it to the woods where we have a shouting match, he's hurting, but I'm not going to allow him to do something stupid. We return to the house after a while, being in the woods at night is dangerous and we know it.

It's been eleven days since the Games began, twenty one days since Katniss left District 12. There are still several days to go but I have faith in Katniss. Gale and I start developing poisons and he is adamant that we label our bottles as primrose, his reasoning is that no one will suspect it of being dangerous.

One thing about Gale is that he is wicked smart when it comes to bombs and such, his eyes get a twinkle as we bounce ideas and soon enough we are fiddling with gas bombs, we hide them under a loose floorboard under my bed.

* * *

"You know rosebud, I never took you for a rebel," he says one day while we share a loaf of bread in the woods.

I smile at him and play a little with my braid before answering, "We are a product of our circumstances, I think; you want to fight because of what happened to your father, I want to fight because my sister was forced to become a murderer and it's my fault, if my name hadn't come out of that bowl Katniss would be here with us, safe"

Gale looks at me, there's probably guilt in his eyes because he knows my words to be true, he probably hates me a little bit because of that fact, but he also knows that I do enough self-hate for the both of us. We're an unlikely pair, but then again the whole rebellion thing is unlikely, but we all have something in common, Katniss. Gale doesn't try to tell me that it's not my fault and I appreciate it, I know that he blames me, no need to add salt to the wound.

"We will be okay rosebud" he says after a while and I believe him.

"Why rosebud?" I have to ask and he smiles.

"Because you're little, look harmless and yet you have thorns" he says and a small 'oh' escapes my lips.

"Thanks!" I say cheekily and he smiles.

We walk back home, Gale leaves to take food for his family and I am reminded that he has younger siblings to care for, and his mother. His mother I like, she's a strong woman who's devoted to her children, something Clara should have been for me and Katniss.

That night Clara makes a stew, Gale, as usual, comes over to watch the recap of the Games, he doesn't get angry anymore when he sees Katniss and Peeta on screen and I feel glad for that, our world doesn't need a meaningless love triangle that can get us killed.

The Capitol sends cameras for interviews and Gale and I are interviewed together, he's like an older brother that has been taking care of me since Katniss volunteered for me, my mother and I owe a lot to Gale and his family. Those are my words as I smile prettily to the camera, ribbons braided in my hair while Gale smiles and pats my back and announces on live television that Katniss is his sister in all but blood, all part of the show to keep Katniss' ruse alive.

* * *

It's day seventeen, the auburn haired girl dies eating nightlock and I know that the Games are about to end, that night I insist that Gale and his family come over to watch the Game. Gale sits next to me and we watch as Katniss and Peeta make their way to the Cornucopia, the Games go on until morning and I can finally breathe properly for the first time in a month.

The Games end, Katniss and Peeta defy the government by trying to commit suicide and I smile at Gale, he ruffles my hair and we know that hope will start growing. The day goes on as usual, there is still on more interview to go, I ask Gale to watch it with me and that night we find a nice spot on a rooftop of the square, Clara is nearby with Hazelle and the rest of the kids.

Peeta is the first to arrive on stage, he looks well for someone who was dying just two days ago and when Katniss jumps into his arms and kisses him Gale stiffens next to me and I have to pat his arm, he remembers my words, Katniss is different, she doesn't need more trouble, the Capitol and Snow are onto her.

Gale looks at me and I nod, no words are needed we watch the rest of the night interview and the entire district goes home. Next morning are the last of the interviews, we watch them because its mandatory, the only thing we want is to have Katniss back.

The day before Katniss arrives Gale and I go to the woods, we're not hunting today we're here to talk, thanks to my constant commentary Gale knows that we're in danger, that we need to keep this familiar charade up, that Snow is watching. He points out that a new group of peacekeepers have arrived.

"They're afraid of us, of hope" I say looking at the horizon, "They will try to crush us, Snow will try to play Katniss like a fiddle and prey upon her weaknesses, us"

"You're scary rosebud" Gale says and I laugh, I'm not really scary, but I feel threatened.

"You cannot attempt to play up a romance with Katniss" I warn, Gale gives me a look, "I'm serious, one single kiss could get her killed"

Gale nods and I hope he will comply, "You truly think that this is it then?"

"I know so" I say, he sighs and looks down to his hands, "We will be watched, as soon as she gets here, this place will become ground zero, you need to be careful"

"Didn't know you cared rosebud" he says and it sounds almost mocking.

I roll my eyes, "You're an idiot then Hawthorne, try not to be"

* * *

We wait for Katniss at the train station, she has two months before the Victory Tour begins, Clara and Hazelle are standing side by side, arms linked, Rory, Vick and Posy are here too and I'm sitting on Gale's shoulders, he's really tall and I'm still very short. We wave to Katniss as she stands on the stage giving her thanks to the District. And once she's down the stage Gale helps me down and I run to my sister.

We hug in the midst of it all and I don't care if the whole world is watching, she's here, she's home now, we're as safe as we can be with a rebellion growing in the minds of the people. Clara makes a remark about how young Katniss is to have a boyfriend and that gives us a little bit of breathing room.

The next few hours are a blur, we are moved to a big house in the Victor's Village and I let Katniss pick my room and we both sit on my bed clutching each other, we sleep together that night and Katniss wakes up thrashing, I just hug her tighter as we try to live on.

Next morning Clara walks into the room with a breakfast tray, its weird but it's a welcomed gesture, I smile at her and pull her into a hug because she's trying, she's been trying since Katniss left.

While we eat breakfast I tell Katniss about my life in her absence, she is angry at first but I manage to make her understand, we're all in danger, I remind her softly, the Capitol won't take your rebellious nature lightly, you sparked hope into the Districts.

"When did you grow up little duck?" she asks and I rest my head on her shoulder locking her hand with mine.

"When you left" I look up at her and find her sorrowful stare on me, "I was scared for you, for mom and I wanted to be as strong as you are"

"You already are" she says as she kisses my head and I smile at her.

In that small moment everything is alright in the world, Katniss is by my side and I can ignore everything around us.

* * *

"You need to give Peeta a chance" I say after the fourth day of Katniss arrival, we are both seated in the dining room and she looks at me weirdly.

"A chance?" she asks and I nod.

"The Capitol will be looking for a flaw in your relationship, they will be looking for something to use against you and if they find out that you faked a relationship with Peeta then they will hold that against you too" I explain carefully, Katniss is not the same as she was, that much is noticeable, but she listens to me and goes over to Peeta's for dinner.

I take time to visit Gale, he's just begun working at the mines and he hates the job, Rory takes me there after school, once we are sure that they are out of the mines for lunch time. I bring a small basket with me filled with cheese, bread and strawberries. The three of us eat between small talk and for a moment nothing has changed. I invite Gale and his family for dinner in two nights, I know that he and Katniss need to talk and better to have that conversation happen in the privacy of our home.

Once back home I explain the invitation to Katniss and Clara, Katniss looks somewhat surprised, but Clara explains that the Hawthorne clan and us grew closer together while she was away, this brings a smile to Katniss face and I tell her about all the things that Gale and I hunted. Clara decides to invite Peeta and Haymitch too and the three of us begin to plan the dinner.


	5. Chapter 5

Two nights later find me welcoming the Hawthornes into our home, Rory and Vick are fun, or as fun as two kids from district twelve can be, and Posy is still a little shy, I exchange glances with Gale and smile, they would be kids for a while more. Peeta and Gale size each other up, but ultimately I glare at Gale and he embraces Peeta in a quick manly hug, Rory and Vick then doing the same, I smile at Katniss and then to myself, everything was going to be okay.

Gale's nineteen birthday approaches, and while Katniss is visiting Peeta under my orders, Gale and I take a Sunday stroll in the woods, I put cheese and strawberries in a basket and we walk to the other side of the still not functional electricity fence.

"Do you think we sold it?" Gale asks once we are deep in enough.

"I think so, yes, with you accepting Peeta nobody can really make up stories, Katniss is really trying and I think she likes him enough, he's good for her," I explain and Gale only hums.

We find a boulder near a lake and sit to have our lunch, the wilderness is refreshing and I understand why Gale likes it so much, we are kindred souls him and I, both veering for freedom in a world that would rather see us dead.

* * *

"We should start preparing," I tell Gale one Sunday morning, three weeks after Katniss arrival and two weeks before she departs for her victory tour.

"Whatever for rosebud?" He asks confused and I only smile.

Gale doesn't ask again, but we start leaving weapons hidden out in the woods, we start studying the electric fence, and between the two of us, we find a way to render it useless, although we don't tell a soul, it's not necessary, but its a start.

* * *

President Snow visits our home five days before Katniss departs for the Victory Tour, he arrives while Katniss is visiting Peeta, no Gale on sight as he is tasked by his mother to babysit Posy under my orders, again Hazelle's cunningness surprises me, but it is not unwelcome, the woman seems to know the dangerous game that we are playing.

I frown down at my bread dough, Katniss has been in the study with Snow for over fifteen minutes now, whatever he's telling her, whatever threat or lie he's weaving to scare my sister only fuel my desire to see him dead, but Primrose is a good, meek girl, I have to remind myself as I work on my dough, there's a peacemaker in the kitchen with me, one of Snow's guards, but none of us is speaking and I'm hyperaware that I'm being assessed, which is why I replace my frown with a small smile and offer the peacemaker a cup of tea, an innocent smile on my face and my doe eyes as wide as I can make them.

The peacemaker refuses the tea and I decide to ignore it and serve myself a cup, I'm not stupid and I wouldn't try to poison a person in my own home, its too soon anyways for it, I smile at the peacemaker again and speak of the love I have for my sister and the fact that I want to become a healer, with flowers braided into my hair, I'm innocence made person. Yes idiots, go ahead, underestimate me, think I'm a poor sweet coddled girl in a horrible world.

Once Snow leaves, and I make sure that we are not being listened in or spied on, I go to Katniss and pull her into a hug, she's tense and I can tell that she is scared and I am reminded that she's so very young.

"Do you like Peeta?" I ask softly, Katniss looks at me and nods shyly.

"Then forget about whatever Snow told you, whatever threat he made, just be you and let Peeta be him," I tell her, she nods and I hug her tighter.

"You've become wise, little duck," Katniss says before pressing a kiss to my hair and I smile.

"You got the brawn, so naturally I got the brains," I joke and suddenly we are giggling, huddled in Katniss bed as if there's nothing wrong with this twisted world.

* * *

Effie Trinket arrives two days before Katniss is set to depart, the colorful woman gushes over my ribbons and over Gale's and Peeta's friendship, it had been hard, but not impossible, Gale understands the stakes, his family and mine are in danger, its not the time to be juvenile, so he steps up, like the better man, or so he insists and welcomes Peeta into our fold.

Peeta Mellark is quite adorable and I can see why he's perfect for Katniss, he's the softness to all her sharp edges and although it pains me to think of the future that awaits him, I know that, in the end, Peeta Mellark was going to be okay.

Katniss leaves on a cold morning, this time, however, I am calm, I go to school and then back home to Clara, Gale has assigned Rory to watch over me, it makes me roll my eyes fondly whenever I'm reminded of it, but Rory's presence is welcomed as I plot, he doesn't know what Gale and I are doing and he doesn't need to, he's innocent and I was determined to keep him that way.

Clara is a lot livelier, she's actually trying, and she tries teach me about curative herbs and whatnot, I pay attention for my own interests, healing after all was a double edged blade, if you knew how to heal then you also knew how to do harm.

* * *

Gale and I watch the tour together, its an interesting power play, Katniss seems stressed, Peeta is very good at holding it together and Gale and I continue plotting, careful, we are rebels after all.

Gale grins when I present him with a small leather band, it has a small flame carefully sewn into it and I show him my matching one, we are the rebellion, I tell him with a conspiratory grin. What I don't tell him is that I am plagiarizing the idea, and if the phrase rebel scum brings a fond memory to the forefront of my mind, I say nothing.

From my point of view I can see Snow's play, the speeches, the threats, everything, he was playing a very interesting game, I could give him that, and while he had the best toys, I eventually would have the best weapon, hope, hope made people do things. And arrow flies over my head and I turn to glare at Gale who is smiling.

"Lost in thought, rosebud?" He asks, I roll my eyes at him and take my shot, hitting the center of the bullseye and I smirk.

"Not in the slightest, Galebear" I say mockingly, he detest the monicker but there's nothing he can do to stop me from using it, he'll grow fond of it, eventually.

"You're getting scary, rosebud" he says after a moment, I ponder his words and shrug.

"You know what they say, Galebear, in this kind of Games you either win or you die and I fight because I wouldn't know how to die quietly"

"So you'll fight?"

"I'll burn Snow to the ground?"

"And if you can't?" He asks, suddenly I laugh, cruelly, a laugh that doesn't belong with my current body.

"Nothing is impossible" I say and again there is that smirk on my face, the one that means trouble and war.

* * *

Gale keeps his distance for a few days, I don't blame him, he needs to come to terms with who I am now and the lengths I am willing to go, so I leave him alone. He returns to my house two days before Katniss does, he seems resolute and so I welcome him back with a hug.

"The Districts are rebelling, District eight is due to rebel soon, and we'll have new peacekeepers, be careful," I warn, Gale nods before he leaves.

The next two days are tense, the Harvest Festival is around the corner and even though District 12 is as far from rebellion as we can be, I can feel the shift in the air, I notice the new peacekeepers at school, slowly, gradually and only because I was looking for it. Suddenly I catch wind that Cray was being supplanted and I sneak into the Hob to catch sight of the new guy.

I go back to my house and when Gale comes at night I warn him, no more selling meat at the hob. At the end I have to bully him into accepting charity, but he has a family to think about, so he agrees. I tell him to keep his head down and focus in the mines, he argues at first and after a shouting match, immovable object meets unstoppable force.

He's taller than me, but I am unmoved by his threatening stance, Clara is somewhere in the house, no doubt listening to us, but I don't care because I'm trying to keep an idiot safe, my only friend apart from my sister, safe. Gale is being hardheaded, stubborn, but that is Gale Hawthorne for you, but I am Primrose Everdeen, not as sweet as my name suggests and much more poisonous underneath an angelic facade, so we stare at each other neither backing down.

* * *

When Katniss is back I am overjoyed to see her, she's quick to pull me into a hug and I am quick to notice the darkness under her eyes, so the nightmares had begun. For the next few days I let Katniss monopolize my time, I braid her hair and sleep on her bed to keep the nightmares at bay.

We speak of everything and nothing and my heart aches whenever she wakes up in the middle of night screaming. I swear on my life to burn Panem to the ground and dance on its ashes.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hiiiiiiiiii, I know is short, but its something ^^'**_

* * *

I keep Gale away from Katniss, it's best for everyone involved for him to be as removed as possible from the narrative. I also do my best to keep track of the new peacekeepers that had arrived to our district. Its funny how the temperature keeps getting colder and colder, as if giving us a small preview of what is to come. With Katniss busy trying to fall back into her life, I continue to hang out with Gale in the old Everdeen house, which soon becomes our laboratory of sorts. We try to keep our heads down, keep hunting to a minimum and we study the new head of the peacekeepers, a bastard by the name of Romulus Thread. I decide that Thread is the first man that I am going to kill.

I feel a small sense of victory when I prevent Gale from being whipped in the town square, it just doesn't happen, since we're barely hunting anymore, instead Gale teaches me how to throw a punch. My knuckles are bloody and my hands are sore when I return home, but I am content with what I'm learning, this world has no place for soft people and I refuse to become a victim.

I try to spend time with Katniss too, the days are tense and everything seems to be weighing her down, I do my best to reassure her, I do tell her of District 13 and the 'rumors' that I had been hearing, I speak to her of hope and we talk about that hypothetical perfect life that we could have led. I also warn her about going to the woods, since the electric fence is about to be put back to use and I keep pestering her until she promises me to stay on this side of the fence, we don't need more trouble.

We get snow, a huge blizzard that throws the new peacekeepers off their loop, I use the small reverie to visit the Major's daughter, Madge Undersee, she's a nice girl and Katniss' friend, I sit in her house primly and listen to her as she plays the piano, then when I am certain that we're alone I bring her into the fold. Madge is a little scared, and it's understandable, she's the major's daughter after all, but it's sink or swim with us now and she's smart enough to know it. Within three days she procures what I need, a detailed map of the district.

* * *

"We're going to blow it up," I tell Gale one night as we're both in the old house.

"Rosebud, that's crazy, even for you," he tells me, but his eyes betray his words.

"We're not going to roll over and let them kill us, Galebear, I have a bad feeling, the districts are rebelling, a rebellion that Katniss ignited, how long until Snow decides to make an example of us?" I reason, and I know that Gale won't find holes in my logic.

He sighs and I know that I've won this round, "How do you suggest we do this then?"

I grin at him, pearly whites showing menacingly, and I proceed to tell him my plan. I can see that he grows appalled as I speak, but he knows is the right thing to do.

* * *

There is a mandatory television scheduling, Katniss prep team is in town and they are annoyingly bright, so I naturally avoid them like the plague. Gale joins me in a rooftop to watch the scheduling, we watch in silence as Katniss's wedding fashion shoot is on but we grow tense when Snow appears on TV afterwards talking about the Dark Days and the Hunger Games. It is Quarter Quell time, and this time previous victors of the Hunger Games are returning to the arena. Gale and I exchange a dark look before he helps me down the roof and I run into the night looking for my sister.

I found her at the old house, screaming her lungs out and I do my best to pull her into a hug and try to comfort her. I stay holding her until she stops and I prompt her to visit Haymitch.

"Maybe he can help, or something, you made it once, you can make it back again," I tell her softly, with a tone of voice I only use for her.

Despite her tears she offers me a smile, "Oh, little duck."

"You're Katniss Everdeen, victor of the 74th Hunger Games, Girl on Fire, you can do anything," I tell her as I pull her into another hug.

"I will come back to you," she promises before she leaves to seek out Haymitch.

Shortly after Katniss has left, Gale walks into the house, a grim look on his face, I move to look for something under the sink and pull out a bottle of rum. I serve us two cups, Gale rolls his eyes at me but takes the offered cup.

"Aren't you too young to be drinking?" he asks as he takes his seat at the table.

"I don't know, mom, am I?" I retort back and he laughs for a moment before turning serious again.

"We're really going to light up those bastards, aren't we?" he asks and it's my turn to laugh.

"Doubting me already, Galebear? We're going to show them how fantastically pleasing coal looks while it burns," I say with glee.

Gale lifts his cup and I clink mine against it, we have work to do.


End file.
